We are in the midst of the second quantum revolution which sees the uprise of an emergent quantum industry. Everywhere around the globe research institutions, big companies, and startups are investing more and more in education, training, and research to support the growing quantum ecosystem. Europe has invested several billions euros, partly through the Quantum Technologies Flagship programme, which started in 2018. Quantum technologies promise to impact notably our society by tackling the greatest global challenges, from global health (drug synthesis and discovery), to energy (quantum batteries), to AI and robotics. It is therefore crucial both to educate the new generation of quantum engineers, and to involve and inform the general public in what is expected to be the most disruptive technological revolution of the new millennium.
We face, however, a great challenge: quantum physics is notoriously difficult to teach and a correct explanation of quantum physics phenomena requires mathematical language. This also holds for all quantum technologies, including quantum computing. As a consequence, all the existing courses on quantum physics and quantum technologies rely, on a higher or smaller degree, on the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics, even when they are addressed at audiences with no specific background in physics. Even when the targeted audience is specialised, such as for example undergraduate and graduate students in physics, University lecturers face the challenge of fully engaging the students, and new learning approaches are highly desired. This leads to the question: can we envisage an approach to teach quantum technology concepts in a new manner which complements the existing traditional approaches, provides a gradual learning process initially based on experience and playful activities, and is also specifically suitable for non-experts, science amateurs, or employees of companies needing retraining?
We believe that the answer to this question is positive. We have envisaged a learning strategy consisting of three phases: 1) Experience - Play - Experiment; 2) Physical Concept; 3) Mathematical Description. In the initial phase the learner is exposed to quantum physics phenomena via games, videos, experiences, challenges, and experiments. In a second phase the related physical concepts are introduced and explained in a language easy to understand. Only after this, the mathematical description of the physical phenomenon is introduced and discussed extensively. Finally the game experiences are revisited in the light of the new acquired knowledge. By engaging the students/learners in playful and creative activities at the very beginning of the learning process, we raise their interest in the topic and ignite their enthusiasm, at the same time demystifying what could be initially perceived as a very demanding subject.
QPlayLearn mission is to reinvent the way in which quantum physics and quantum technologies are taught, by creating a multimedia learning platform which is engaging, inspiring, scientifically accurate, customisable to different learning needs/abilities, and fun!
